Opera Legend Joins Battle Against Music Piracy

Plácido Domingo will help fight against illegal sharing of music

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World-renowned tenor Pl
ácido Domingo has joined the battle against bootleggers.

The 70-year-old legend has been named the chairman of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, alerting governments that need tougher laws against online piracy.

Bloomberg reports that Domingo saw royalties from many of his recordings go down through the years. “At first, I thought it was logical,” he said, but over time, he realized that once the royalties stopped altogether, something was wrong.

“On my own, I couldn’t do anything. So when the IFPI asked me to help them, I immediately said yes.”

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According to IFPI’s 2011 report, global album sales fell 77% from 2003-2010.

Many large record labels belong to IFPI, including Universal Music Group, Sony, Citigroup, and Warner Music Group. Domingo will represent them all, speaking to presidents, prime ministers, and those in control of legislation to help protect the music industry.

Piracy has plagued the music industry for some time, as music sharing sites like Napster, Limewire, and others make it easy to share music illegally.

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Domingo says the music industry, like any other, is a business. “Would you steal a pair of shoes from a shop? Of course not.” Technicians, producers, and engineers all suffer from loss of royalties.